Critic Reviews

Doom 3. You’ve wanted it for ages, and now its here. It’s great. It’s pretty. It’s scary. It’s demanding. Go buy it if you can play it, because you’ll definitely like it. Doom 3 is here, and Doom 3 is awesome.

I don't know how they did it, but Vicarious Visions deserves accolades for their hard work. Not only does DOOM 3 equal the standards brought by the PC version, it ranks up there with Halo 2 (despite that game's horrid ending) and Return to Wolfenstein: Tides of War as the best 1st person shooters available on the Xbox. My only request is that they will also release the recent PC expansion Resurrection of Evil as a possible Xbox Live download. It will be well worth the download cost.

2004 has been a loser year for PC games. Titles we expected to be great sucked; other titles never appeared at all. DOOM 3 joins the tiny handful of games we've seen this year that really are all they're cracked up to be. It's got fun, excitement, good looks—everything people look for both in a potential mate and in a video game. Replay and moddability guarantee that it will stay on hard drives for years to come. It was a long wait, but now that it's here, there's no doubt that it was worth it.

Although DOOM 3 is, by and large, the same game that appeared on the PC a few months ago, the developers at Vicarious Visions (and, by extension, id Software) seem to understand the differences between PC and console gamers, and they managed to craft a game that is more about blasting demons than exploring dark hallways. This might sound like a bad change, but it actually makes for a more streamlined game, barely offering the player time to catch his breath. Everything about the game looks great, especially the amazing lighting engine and realistic textures. Ultimately, however, it all comes down to the seamless world the title creates. It's so engrossing that you may just find yourself looking over your shoulder when it's time to turn off the lights and go to bed.

I watched the intro, so I know the following: There's an evil-looking, possibly totally nuts scientist running the labs here on Mars, and there are some government types coming to visit—and they're not happy with the "progress" because people keep turning up dead. Or worse. And believe me, as the game goes on, you get to see a lot of fates worse than death.

Doom 3 is more than just one of the best games of 2004—it's also better than this summers spate of action movies. OK. so the plot isn’t a big surprise to anyone at this point (a lone marine has to fight off an invasion from hell). It’s the execution that makes this game so damn good. The stellar visuals, amazing audio, and incredible attention to detail draw you into another world.

From the way this game starts out like Half-Life, wandering the facility and learning to interact while receiving at least a slight back story, this game seeks to immerse you. At the beginning of the game you will feel like somebody who just happens to be on scene of something both terrible and amazing. So when you find yourself finally being the hero, it just all seems natural. From the amazing presentation, to the sound effects, to the actual storyline, this game is much more than just a Serious Sam or Painkiller where you have a story slapped on to a splatterfest.

At its core, Doom 3 is nothing more than a twitch-fest for the reflexes and an assault on your senses. It might not break new ground or explore new facets of gameplay, but Doom 3 does deliver the scariest ride of your life, wrapped up in one of the nicest presentation packages of any Xbox game to date. This Game of the Year contender is a must own title for any action-horror fan.

A brilliant amalgamation of gameplay, graphics and sound, Doom 3 is a terrifying journey into the unknown, an adventure fraught with peril and horrifying moments that will make the manliest of men shriek like a twelve year old girl. Folks, games really don't get much better than this and I highly recommend picking this one up (especially the Collectors Edition).

With developers taking their design cues from Half-Life and Halo in the past few years, it's curious to see id Software revert to its roots with Doom 3. The very first Doom, sitting on the shoulders of Wolfenstein 3-D, which launched the first-person shooter craze in 1993, was a simple yet brilliant game in many regards. It had no manual Y-axis, so you couldn't look up or down. Enemies cheaply popped out of hidden doorways as you passed them. Very little of the environment was interactive. And the visuals, while maybe good then, are distinctly painful to view now.

As mentioned earlier, aside from the graphics engine, there isn't a whole lot that we haven't seen before. However, it is still a truly awesome experience and as good as anything that has come before it. It is the epitome of a polished, cinematic experience that is not so much revolutionary as it is evolutionary. As has happened with previous id Software game engines, we're bound to see many more games based on this technology, and that's a comforting thought for enthusiasts. Is Doom 3 the release that will save PC gaming? Perhaps that's going a bit far. Is Doom 3 the beginning of many great things for our favorite pastime? I don't think anyone can say otherwise.

Doom 3 is more of an experience than a game. I was reminded of those haunted mansions or “dark rides” they have at theme parks. The designers do a great job of hinting at the overall plot, leaving you various clues to the puzzle. Chances are most gamers will figure things out before it’s actually spelled out for you, but I rather enjoyed being spoon-fed each tasty morsel of the plot. At its core, Doom 3 is nothing more than either of the original Doom games with a 21st century facelift. A twitch-fest for the reflexes and an assault on your senses, it might not break new ground or explore new facets of gameplay, but Doom 3 does deliver the ride of your life, wrapped up in one of the nicest presentation packages of any game to date.

Overall, this game is a technical masterpiece, although it doesn’t bring anything new to the first-person shooters genre. My advice would be to sit on your own, close the door, turn the lights off, put on some headphones and prepare to give hell a visit.

DOOM 3 has lost little in its translation from the PC to the Xbox. Some of the original complaints will continue to be heard, as this game's still dark as hell and full of the same monster-spawning tricks. The multiplayer modes are plentiful, though, and the total package is very high quality. Add the classic DOOM ports in the Collector's Edition version and we've got an excellent game ported masterfully to the Xbox, and it's got plenty of action for you and your friends to blast through.

Vicarious Visions and id Software have achieved a technological feat, one that ensures Doom 3 fans who just happen to own an Xbox can have that devilishly delicious cake and eat it too. Translating the PC game’s graphics and audio, plus adding an online cooperative mode, may in the end make Doom 3 on Xbox the Doom of choice for most gamers. Considering the PC version required a supercomputer to run, Doom 3 on Xbox is more approachable, more robust and, ultimately, a more-complete game. If you missed out on Doom 3 the first time around, and if The Ring 2 didn’t give you quite the scare you were looking for, Doom 3 is calling your name.

More than any other game in recent memory, DOOM 3 exceeds the sum of its parts. Despite some obvious flaws, I absolutely enjoyed this trip to Mars from beginning to end -- there simply haven't been many shooters in the past few years that have molded story, pacing, atmosphere, gameplay and technology as well as DOOM 3

Doom 3 is a landmark phenomenon, no matter which way you look at it. In terms of sheer graphical brilliance, the game is simply unmatched, and will likely continue to be the reigning king for some time to come. The incredible level of detail is jaw-dropping, and the ability to scale it for playability on even the lowest of the low-end systems is a glorious miracle of optimization. Thankfully, this graphical beast is used to its full potential, creating an incredibly dark and appropriately creepy experience that truly does justice to the Hellish nature of the storyline. The gameplay may be stripped-down and simplistic, but this is Doom, where all you can ask for is an arsenal to wield and demons to kill. Doom 3 gleefully provides both, and in so doing, pieces together one of the most impressive and entertaining action-oriented FPS titles in years.

The whole principle of Doom 3 is that scientist on Mars have found some sort of ancient civilization. With that civilization they found ancient artifacts that unlocked the secrets of their world. Unfortunetely that wasn’t the only thing they unlocked. It seems that in their research they accidentally opened a portal to hell (insert big whoops here). You being a rough and tuff Marine, must battle your way through the hordes of demons and close the portal. Sure it might seem like the same old, blow them up story, but wait there’s more! This time around, id Software did a great job of creating a background, and even a story. You now have characters, voices, and a story that seems, dare I say, interesting?

Overall, DOOM 3 is a great game. It can get a bit repetitive, and you often find yourself saying “you can’t fool me, game, I know there’s gonna be something popping up here;” but overall it is a fun experience that no FPS fan should miss. DOOM 3’s old school FPS savvy and new school graphics make for an entertaining experience, and the online co-op mode that was not in the PC version helps add to the value immensely.

John Carmack, the man behind Doom, has long been heralded as a genius and the godfather of first-person shooters. After a long absence from the scene, his triumphant return to prominence is finally at hand with Doom 3. To be sure, this title is in many ways as much of a landmark in gaming as its ancestor: however, the FPS landscape is no longer the clean slate it was back in the day, and there are definite cracks that shown through Doom 3's design.

"Doom 3" is a masterpiece, for PC and for X-Box! If you have a bit more money to spend, I would definitely go after the 'special silver edition' of the game since then you'll get Ultimate Doom and Doom II too!
A 'hell' of a game!

Doom is back - looking and sounding better than ever. This first-person shooting sci-fi horror masterpiece features a dramatic storyline, heart pounding action, terrifying sound and truly incredible graphics. Doom 3 also features online play via Xbox Live, which includes the eagerly-awaited intense 2-player online co-op. Great single player campaign, but not for the faint hearted.

Doom 3 is like experiencing Doom for the first time. If you're a first-person shooter fanatic you will not want to pass up this opportunity to live or relive the Doom experience the way it was meant to be experienced.

Doom 3 is an awesome-looking action game with plenty of visceral demon killing to satisfy (most) first-person shooter fans. Even if it does have a thread bare multiplayer component it's a solid purchase. (That's right, I said, "purchase" ya thievin' pirates!)

PC Gamers have had their hands on what has been called the most horrifying shooter ever created since last year, and now Xbox players will be able to take part in what is easily id Software’s best first-person shooter to date. With the PC version having been released last August, console players have had to remain patient as the Xbox version developed by Vicarious Visions is just now hitting the store shelves. At first thought, we might have been too eager to play, hoping to have both versions of the game released at the same time. As it has turned out the extra time not only allowed Vicarious Visions to fine tune and design the Xbox version of DOOM 3 to run optimally on the console platform, but it has also enabled Xbox players to experience id’s Hellish nightmare with all the ferocious intensity of the PC version along with a few new features and gameplay modes that are exclusive to our big black box.

Purely in terms of gameplay, Doom 3's lack of ambition is astonishing. Id Software's latest first-person shooter doesn't just remind you of its infamous decade-old forefathers—it is the same damn game. Demons spawn ahead of you or suddenly pop out of "monster closets" behind you as you cross invisible lines. Locked doors wait for you to find keys or kill all nearby enemies before opening. Bad guys beeline at you with all the intelligence and subtlety of a charging bull. Every weapon in your huge arsenal is straight out of the FPS handbook, save one novelty item at the end of the game and the series' trademark chain saw. None of this is necessarily a bad thing, mind you—the classic guns and timeless twitch gameplay are the reason Doom went on to define the genre after all—but in this age of Riddicks and Halos, it's a bit disappointing.

It's hard to figure out what's more hellish. Being trapped indoors on a hot, sticky, humid London summer day at 32 degrees C, fighting off your body's desire to dissolve into a pool of salty ooze, or being trapped on a base on Mars in the future, fighting off an endless respawning succession of Satan's minions. The fact that we had to do both at the same time in order to get a review out on time simply made the experience all the more authentic. In our spare time, we sin for fun, so hell seems like our natural home; it's like playing tourist to your future.

Without being revolutionary (except technologically), this offering provides a fresh and overwhelming experience that makes me forget about everything else. I like virtually every design decision id made, and count this as my favorite PC first-person shooter and one of my top computer titles of all time in any genre. If you love monsters, machines and mayhem, as I do, this is your game.

At the end of the day, while DOOM 3 may be a contradiction in every sense of the word, it does more things right than it does wrong. The game exudes quality and you can easily see that it was a labor of love. Fans of past DOOMs will appreciate the effort and enjoy every step of the journey. New gamers, not previously initiated to the DOOM Universe, can do a lot worse than picking up the Collector’s Edition and discovering where FPS’s started and seeing first hand what the blueprint to greatness really is. As it stands, DOOM 3 is a brilliant game that refuses to be modernized. DOOM 3 is about running and shooting and taking a breath-taking journey through Hell and back. While the flashlight gimmick runs a little old after a few hours, it doesn’t lessen its effectiveness. Hours spent on DOOM 3 are some of the most nerve racking imaginable.

Players who are expecting a Halo killer will be disappointed as the action here is not quite so frenetic and the maps are much more claustrophobic. However, that being said, Doom3 for the Xbox should be a title that all FPS fans should add to their library. Thanks to a few new features like the co-op play and some in game tweaks, like the streamlining of some of the slower parts of the game, it turns in a solid performance.

DOOM 3 is a great game. Not necessarily for the gameplay aspects, but for the fact that my eyes and ears never went a moment without being completely entertained. DOOM 3 is extremely immersive with about as perfect a presentation as I've ever seen in a game. Visually, it has no peer at the moment. Even Far Cry's impressive vistas and wonderful environments can't stand up to the artistic and technical might of this sensory feast. Playing this on a 5.1 surround sound in the dark is an intense experience that, if possible, must be enjoyed.

The game can't help but feel a little bit a retread of the action and story of Doom 3 - but if you enjoyed your first vacation to Mars/Hell, I don't see any reason why a return trip this time shouldn't be just as enjoyable.

It is difficult to sum up DOOM 3 into a simple rating. As a work of art and a technology showcase, DOOM 3 is top-notch A+ material. The Aspyr port is solid and looks great. DOOM 3 does things better than any other game of its genre (ambience, graphics, sound), but at the end of the day, the actual gameplay is kinda weak. It's the same old weapons, same mission to get from place A to place B and the zombies act, well, like zombies, but not in a good way. As a result of the predictable level design and enemies coupled with the simple-but-effective weapons arsenal, DOOM 3 does not turn out to be particularly challenging, at least at the normal difficulty setting. However, it's a great reason to upgrade your Macintosh, and looks infinitely better than anything else out there.

Extremely impressive from a technical standpoint yet behind the times from a first-person-shooter design standpoint: This is the dichotomy that is Doom 3, the long-awaited sequel from well-known Texas-based developer id Software. Less than a year after it exploded onto the PC in the dead of summer, the game is now available for the Xbox, boasting a new two-player cooperative mode that really helps round out the experience, and which probably should have been in the PC version to begin with. Perhaps more importantly, those amazing good looks survived the translation to the Xbox well intact--along with pretty much everything else.

My suggestions? Don’t binge on it, don't go back and re-play parts (and save often to avoid re-playing), and don't use the cheat codes even if you're trying to show your buddy how cool the first boss looks up close with the flashlight. Few games are as spoiled by the feeling of invincibility as Doom III is. Oh and finally, don't expect innovative or even good gameplay. It really is the same formula over and over, just bundled in a remarkably attractive package and with the world's most convincing presentation.

So while Doom 3 is an ultra-sexy diversion with enough substance to fill the id nay-sayers' mouths, I don't see it standing the test of time the way Doom does. The mod and online communities will ensure the game's longevity, and a well-earned buzz will likely continue on for a half of a decade or so. But after the smoke has cleared, I still see myself going back to Doom. Doom 3 has an undeniable hedonistic appeal, but Doom brings me a deeper level of pleasure. Doom 3 is glamorous, but Doom cooks a better breakfast. Doom 3 is an exciting fling, but Doom is the game I see myself waking up to ten years from now.

Overall, Doom 3 turned out to be a whole lot better than I expected. Doom 3 is easily id’s best game. Doom 3 is good, but its lack of creative gameplay elements outside the atmospheric element keeps it just an arm’s length from true greatness. Doom 3’s greatest legacy will be the fact it will have created the foundation engine for the bulk of the shooters that will arrive in the next 5 years. The game is worth a play, unfortunately the $55 price tag is too high. I would suggest checking it out after it hits $40 or lower.

I'm guessing, though, that people aren't buying this for the multiplayer component. This is all about the single player game, as it should be. Doom 3 never provides the emotional involvement of the Medal of Honor or Call of Duty series, and it doesn't offer any intrigue as did Deus Ex or XIII. But it does offer a hard hitting, exceptionally creepy game that also happens to have the best graphics I've ever seen (best, but not most interesting). Doom fans will be thrilled, and fans of first-person shooters in generally will likely be entertained enough to justify the purchase.

“Beauty is skin deep”, they say. The ugly ones believe this in all their hearts and the hot momma’s use such a statement to proof that they do have some brains. Whatever you think about it, there is a certain truth in it. Doom 3 however tends to be part of the hot momma’s like Paris Hilton; blond, hot but oh so stupid. But sometimes a man wants nothing more but pure enjoyment without any complications, just action all the way and Doom 3 certainly delivers on that factor.

The surround sound is impressive; the crystal clear moans and footsteps build a sense of paranoia (are those footsteps mine?) There's no auto-save feature, but you can initiate a save at any point, and there's even a handy "quick save" button. My biggest disappointment came when I attempted to play the much-ballyhooed two-player cooperative mode with a friend. Sadly, there's no split screen version, so you'll need two copies of the game. Otherwise, I really enjoy playing Doom 3. It may lack the variety and long-time play value of Halo, but you can't question Doom 3's sheer intensity and top-notch production values.

Doom 3 for the Xbox might not do much new, but it still does what it does very well. It looks great, plays good, takes a nice 20 hours or so to complete and it's genuinely scary, which is all you really need to have a good time. I wouldn't swap it permanently for Halo 2, but it's perfect for a weekend romp. Just don't let Master Chief find out you've been messing around.

Doom 3 seems to try its hardest to ignore every single gameplay innovation since Half-Life, which fluidly combined action with puzzle-solving elements and an intriguing story. Furthermore, the developers depend on the mod community to fix the parts of their game that they made foolish design decisions on. Doom 3 can be a decent run-and-gun experience with some frights thrown in, but that category is far better handled by games like Painkiller and Serious Sam. If you loved the original Doom, Doom 3 won’t disappoint. If you’re used to seeing a little more substance with your style, check out Far Cry or Half-Life 2.

In short, DOOM 3 is just like DOOM and DOOM 2 with its gameplay and combat, and if you didn’t like the originals you won’t find anything in DOOM 3 to change your mind. Even casual DOOM fans will find any compelling reason to play the game quickly wane, possibly even before the end of the first run through the game. Hardcore DOOM fans will enjoy the fact that DOOM 3 is just like their baby, only with a facelift and some fancy new gameplay features, but everyone else might want to tread with caution as DOOM 3’s initial scares and wows over the graphics give way to predictable, uninspired gameplay all too quickly.

And that, for me, is one of the things that even people who like it will admit is principally disappointing: it's pretty much a one-way trip, and probably a bit too long with too much faffing before it all goes red. Riddick, Halo, Half-Life 2 - these are games you can play again and again and find new things. In Doom III it's hard to find anything fundamentally new on the second level. It does bigger and redder, but it doesn't do much in the way of variation. Whether you should buy it or not is a question of whether you like what it isn't varying.

Doom 3 plays as it was originally designed by id Software, and you can see from a mile that it’s the engine, being tech-oriented as it was, who put perhaps too many limitations on gameplay. Somehow, for such a long-awaited title, gamers expected more.

Doom 3 definitely deserves full points for atmosphere and graphical polish, as a faraway hellish planet is the only place we found ourselves in during the course of the title. The game only suffers during the campaign, which may be a little too long-running for its own good, or perhaps we just got a tad sick of all those dark corridors. Either way it’s still a great, and absorbing game with a creepy atmosphere.

Overall, Doom 3 handily accomplishes exactly the kind of scary story id set out to achieve. Unfortunately, it was a game style not everyone wanted. Without the outrageous movement speed and death metal riffs, it only catered to a portion of the classic Doom audience. The engine was brilliant at using lighting to create the kind of atmosphere Doom 3 needed, but was perhaps a bit too specialized – you won’t see Tech 4 appear in too many other games, while Unreal’s usage grew exponentially. A chilling game if that’s what you’re out for, but maybe not quite the Doom you were expecting.

In all, despite the fact "Doom 3" is essentially a throwback to classic "3-D shooters" but with remarkable graphics and atmosphere, it is still one of the best computer games of 2004. Just be sure your computer can play the game before bringing it home so you can experience "Doom" instead of gloom.

Doom III is surprisingly conservative. Sure, it's always going to be controversial when you pit the player against the forces of hell, litter rooms with blood stains and dead bodies, and render zombies out to tear flesh but, well, Id Software didn't really use inverted crosses this time and you aren't rewarded for killing innocent people (like in Quake 2). Id is growing up and obviously imitating Valve and Half-Life here and the maturity helps the game feel more cohesive.

Doom 3 is almost perfect in so many crucial categories- amazing graphics, excellent sound, and one of the industry’s greatest engines. Perhaps that’s why it’s so disheartening to see the piss-poor Campaign and Xbox Live competitive modes nearly ruin the entire package. I’m not quite sure how Doom 3 was as a PC title, but this version does not feel like it bears the fruit of six more months of work. Doom 3 came with a level of anticipation that suggested it would occupy a spot next to Halo 2 in the annals of Xbox greatness. Turns out they’re not even on the same planet.

Good but not great, Doom 3 lacks the epic settings of Halo 2 and whilst it never failed to entertain and scare me right until the end, I found that after a couple of hours play I’d had enough and had to go play something else to “chill out”. This could be a credited to the game’s intense atmosphere, or that I don’t actually like the dark all that much - Halo 2 and Far Cry managed to be plenty scary enough in bright sunshine and Doom 3 just overdid the dark thing to the point of repetition, it’s an awesome game engine but needed a few less dingy and claustrophobic settings to break things up and give the intense gameplay some much needed variety. A game you really should see just to appreciate what your Xbox is capable of graphically, visually it will at times amaze you, whilst noisily scaring your pants off at others.

What it boils down to is, is this game worth your 54.99? My answer to that is, it depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking for the story of Halo (2), then no…I doubt this comes close, but if you are looking for an above average FPS which sets out to creep the hell out of you, then this hits the target. The replay value that Doom 3 offers is minimal, even with the multiplayer aspects until the mod community creates some great additions so if you are looking for something with the multiplayer longevity of the Battlefield games, I’d suggest staying with Battlefield. But if you are looking for a thrilling, stirring, frightening trip back to a place you haven’t been for near 10 years, then Doom 3 will really give you your money’s worth, after all $55 can’t really buy you 20+ hours of entertainment many other places can it?

If you're looking for a good shooter, Doom 3 will not disappoint. It was the game that wrote the book on shooters many years ago. It's not particularly innovative by today's standards, nor is it as scary as games like Silent Hill and Resident Evil but at least you'll know what you're getting. Regardless of whether you like this game or are disappointed that it's too much like the original, I think we can all agree that this is the best, and most definitive version of Doom.

Doom 3 is a game that is good in the shooting department and excellent in the making realistic looking monsters that frighten department. Online co-op mode will add replay value, as will the average deathmatch modes, although a little innovation and more players (4 doesn’t cut it anymore, if it ever did) would have added a lot more longevity to them. It comes down to whether you're into getting thrills from aliens popping out of dark corners or not. If you fall into the first category, you can’t do much better than Doom 3.

Doom 3 is a visually suspenseful ride that will have you exercising that trigger finger. If you enjoy first person shooters you will dig Doom 3, but overall it doesn't have impact you might of expected. We love Doom 3; but the stories been told. Let's hope the demons finally stay in hell.

If your looking for a futuristic, Sci-Fi Horror, First Person Shooter with a solo story this has to be it. Because of the environment and monsters, some gamers will think Doom 3's solo story is the best thing since sliced bread. It's good, but it's a standard horror escape story, and I did not walk away savoring the experience. Level after level of dark hostile facilities to explore with monsters coming at you from all sides, is an excitingly tense, but fatiguing experience. I loved the monsters and the ambushes. The attention to environmental detail, machinery, and architectural layout gave the Reseach Station a very authentic feeling, but dozens of dark levels took some of the fun away. However I did fight the really big boss to finish the game. D3 falls short regarding an interactive environment and human animation. But it's still worth a trip to Hell.

Welcome to Doom 3, a terrifying first-person shooter that taps into a primal fear: being trapped in the dark with something menacing. I previewed an early release of the game in the February 2005 issue. It’s now out and worth a look—as long as your system can handle it.

I have to admit, the first couple of hours of this game were quite frightful. Turn your lights out, sound up, and lock your door for a fully immersive experience. As much hype as there was, I was disappointed half way through in the predictability of the game. It seemed like a remake of the same old first-person shooter packaged in a much prettier package. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret playing it through, but by the end I was in it for the graphics, not the game.

For those of you who have been taking a break gaming civilization for the past few years, Doom 3 is a remake of the classic game Doom. The premise is the same - You are a nameless marine assigned to a space station on Mars, and an experiment gone wrong unleashes the forces of Hell onto the base. It is up to you to become an army of one and single-handedly beat back the evil before it has a chance to spread.

After putting out some of the most influential games of the past 10 years and then spending the last four years crafting one of the most highly anticipated games of modern times, everything comes down to expectations. Was Doom 3 worth the wait? That answer will vary from person to person, so it should be no surprise that in the end, what you get out of Doom 3 is equivalent to what you put in. Anyone who expects it to be a technical masterpiece will assuredly come away impressed. But anyone who expects it to be equally amazing in the gameplay department might well wonder where the last four years went. The truth actually lies somewhere in between, and expectations should be adjusted accordingly.

Overall, Doom 3 recieves a 7.8 out of 10 rating from DMDN. Its multiplayer is lacking, but single player does the job it was made to do. Support is good and the graphics are excellent. While I was a bit disappointed in the multiplayer and Doom 3 did deserve a bit higher, it is a fun game and I reccomend anyone interested...or with courage...to buy it today.

For the potential that it had, there is no way that it should have turned out like this. I will still take it online for a fun romp now and then with some co-op, but all in all I found myself bored between the scares of monsters trying to kill me. Redundancy is NOT a gamer’s best friend, or a favorable game trait for that matter. Rent it first to be razzled and dazzled by its look and feel, then you’ll realize if this game’s for you. Most of you will be like me and see all they want within that rental period, but that is not to say that some will love this game flat out for its name. Purchase with caution.

Even these complaints, however, can’t entirely erode Doom’s accomplished terror. It’s impossible for your heart not to race as you sweat out the fright of its peerless audio design, chattering voices and muffled sobs endlessly scraping at your senses. It’s this that makes irrelevant the debates of how Doom is Doom. Terror is the surest badge of Doom 3’s heritage: this is a tense, ultraviolent action game which demands you revisit the way we played the original game: off with the lights, on with the headphones, and up with the volume.

The fact of the matter is that there are going to be many people disappointed with this game. Anyone expecting a game that will reinvent the genre will have missed the point of the game. Sure, it doesn't advance the first person shooter genre at all, but that doesn't really matter when the games basic mechanics are as excellently executed as this. If id had taken a similar approach to how other developers are telling stories in their games we may have had a more cinematic game, but would that have really been Doom? The game is testament to John Carmack's skill as a hands-on developer, and provides a gaming experience not found very often in today's games. Simplicity can sometimes be a good thing.

Despite the criticism, it’s well worth checking out though. Maybe if I had not been such a fan of the original and was not so hoping for the same game with newer graphics it would be an 8 or a 9 – but I have to stick by my guns and go for a 7 – unlike the original, Doom III is nothing special for me.

It may seem to most that I’m being very hard on Doom 3. I am, and I feel that I should be. The game costs more than most games at $55 retail. The game is possibly the most hyped game ever, and has big shoes to fill. It does a decent job too, but I just felt that it got old for me. The cheap tricks with "eh" sound effects, and instant spawning monsters got old. The style of game, with 80% graphics/sound and 20% game play just doesn’t cut it anymore. The graphics are great, but I can’t run the game as well and smooth as I’d like to. The levels are so dark that you rarely get a good look around. Is Doom 3 worth $55 for me? No. It’d be worth $25 for me. Once some mods come out, I think this game may get a little more playing time.

Visually the game is bound to stop your heart - if it were 5 years ago - but come on! There really isn't anything in Doom 3 that you haven't seen before. Sure it looks great, but so did Far Cry. Aside from the graphics (and you better have a monster PC if you want to see them) Doom 3 fails to excite in almost every other aspect. The story is a "re-telling" of the original Doom which, while fleshed out, doesn't do much else than give you an excuse to shoot everything that moves. The scripted events are too overused and it won't take long before you are expecting the unexpected and therefore have already anticipated the next big "BOO!". Doom 3 succeeds as a mindless shooter that achieves limited depth through it's useless busy work PDA mechanic, but after a couple of hours I was just going through the motions.

There hasn't been a game that I would more than happily throw away after I just purchased it for fifty-five dollars than this one. The graphics are superb and sound is just down right awesome, but nothing will make up for the complete satanic feel and exposure this game will bring. As a twenty-one year old I have to say I was freaked out, disturbed, and horrified by Doom III's content. I can't imagine what a thirteen year old would feel like. After hours of exposure to this game, I could see a child's attitude and personality change because of this game. I would have displayed more images but due to the graphic and satanic nature of this game I just couldn't show it. Stay far away from Doom III it has no value to it at all. I would highly recommend that anyone who professes themselves to be Christians, to NOT PLAY THIS GAME.

If you can handle graphic imagery and action and want to see what can be done when 3D is utilized correctly, with its clever graphical tricks and impressive direction, then Doom 3 is highly recommended. If you can't, then don't bother. It should also be noted its minimum specs are really quite low for what it is and even on its most basic settings the games atmosphere oozes through.

2nd review
Doom 3 reminds me a lot of the type of women I tend to date. Insanely hot. So beautiful you’re amazed it’s real. People that see them for the first time wish they had something even a fraction as beautiful. But woe to thee, for underneath the attractive frame lies madness. Crazy gibbering Lovecraftian madness which makes you wonder how something so pretty can be so up-fucked where it truly counts. After you really truly get to know it, you realize they may still be nice to look at, but the inner works are nowhere near anything you want to associate with on a permanent basis. Bottom Line: Treat Doom 3 like you would one of these women. You fuck it hard and fast and then you dump it immediately afterwards as the fun will run out very, very quickly. But at least then you have the photos or movies to prove that hottie was yours in order to make everyone else jealous. It’s good for a one time use, and then off to the rubbish bin.

To put it bluntly Doom 3 is not a game for deaf gamers as it makes no attempt to cater for deaf gamers and it's a slap in the face for fans of the series that have waited patiently for the game to arrive on the Xbox. Whilst some pieces of information have been given in text the omissions are truly damaging to the game experience and it's these omissions that kill the game as far as deaf gamers are concerned. In short then it's a game best avoided.

Doom 3 as a whole is not awful. It’s just not good. It does not deserve all the praise that it is given. If I were to review the capabilities of the engine, I likely would have rated the game higher. But this is the GAME. But it’s what we’ve come to expect from id. Will this game get companies to license the engine? Probably. The engine is good. And for what it’s worth, this is one of the best GAMES id has made. None of their other games have had an even remotely satisfying singleplayer experience, and to make the multiplayer interesting, you’d have to install mods. So I can say that single player is somewhat satisfying, and it is worth it to get this game because someone will make a good mod for it that will make it all worth it. But the game itself is not.

Doom 3 doesn't want you to fear for you life: they want you to fear that tile falling off the ceiling for the umpteenth time, or jump at the same clip of scary ambient noise being rehashed over and over. It desires your fear, but is only willing to obtain it cheaply. It doesn't wish to work for it. In my mind, there’s a very clear line dividing the world. On one side stands the people who point to Doom 3’s commercial success and laud it as a triumph. People who don’t mind the lack of challenge, the general dumbing down of the gameplay and the dialling up of the graphics. It’s just another mindless shooter, they say. The people on the other side agree. Doom 3 is nothing more than another mindless shooter, but it’s clear it wanted to be so much more. And it’s not. It's pointless cosmetics-first-gameplay-last software at its worst.